This week’s Diwali movie release, “Son of Sardaar,” is a remake of the hit Telugu movie “Maryada Ramanna,” which was, in turn, a remake of the 1923 Hollywood silent film, “Our Hospitality.”

The film stars Ajay Devgn, playing the role of Jassi, as the protagonist. Jassi returns to his hometown in Punjab from London to sell a piece of land he inherited. Jassi meets Sukh, played by Sonakshi Sinha, and both fall in love, not knowing that their families have a long-standing feud. Sukh is the niece of Ranvijay Singh, played by Sanjay Dutt, whose brother was killed by Jassi’s father. Action and comedy ensues when Jassi enters the family home. The movie also stars Juhi Chawla, playing the love interest of Sanjay Dutt, and Salman Khan in a cameo.

Here is what the critics had to say about the movie:

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Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama describes the movie as a “wholesome entertainer.” He notes the plot is “skeletal” and the film sticks to the formula of typical Bollywood flicks “that pack drama, humor, song-n-dance, thrills et al.” The director and the screenwriter used every trick in the book to make it a “no-holds-barred entertainer” which is why the movie “hits the right notes,” writes Mr. Adarsh.

Although the first hour of the film is “breezy” and “thoroughly enjoyable,” the second half of the film slows down as the focus of the narrative shifts from vengeance to romance, Mr. Adarsh notes.

He praised Mr. Devgn for his performance. “The supremely talented actor takes charge of the film from the commencement itself and holds it tight all through,” he said. He said Sanjay Dutt managed to act both the intense as well as the sensitive scenes with equal ease. Sonakshi Sinha’s character in this movie is somewhat similar to her earlier movies “but she sparkles in the sequences that she appears in, which works to her advantage,” writes Mr. Adarsh.

Mr. Adarsh was impressed with the fight sequences which “might seem gimmicky” but would strike a chord with the viewers who enjoy those kind of stunts. He also said the soundtrack fits well with the mood of the film. Giving the movie four stars out of five, Mr. Adarsh said: “Son of Sardaar stays most faithful to the ideology of providing unabashed entertainment, while logic, expectedly, takes a backseat.”

Gaurav Malani of the Times Of Indiafound the plot lacked novelty and “the film does get kinda monotonous and one-dimensional after a point.”

“One does feel the dialogues and drama could have been stronger here,” adds Mr. Malani. He said the airborne action, which is quite common in today’s Bollywood flicks, ”lacks innovation” and the comedy “lacks permanence.” He also noted the pairing of Mr. Devgn with Ms. Sinha “seems hastened and half-baked” with too many songs between them while the Sanjay Dutt-Juhi Chawla pairing “lacks chemistry.” He also noted the cinematography of the movie was “patchy in portions.”

“When a movie tries too hard to be funny and the effort shows in every frame, it only ends up being an unintentional joke rather than a genuine laugh riot,” said Saibal Chatterjee in a NDTV review. ”Son of Sardaar is one such abomination,” he adds. According to Mr. Chatterjee, the screenplay, which is co-written by the film’s director Ashwni Dhir, is “sloppy” and the narrative “defies logic.”

However, he praised Ms. Sinha for her performance in the movie. She “endeavors to be pretty and dainty amid all the madness,” he writes. He gave the movie one-and-half stars out of five.

Rohit Khilnani in Rediff notes that the movie is a “good opportunity wasted” as it has all the ingredients of a good entertainer but lacks a good script. The review made special mention of Juhi Chawla as a “show stealer”.

However, he notes that the music was not up to scratch as “most of the songs are forced and out of place.” Nonetheless, the movie does evoke occasional laughter with its dialogue and punch lines. He gave the movie two stars out of five.

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